My Sweet Hearts Quilt and other projects

It has been quite a busy last 3 months, filled with travel and family visits and, of course, holidays.  It's hard to believe but I found myself with doing maybe half an hour of sewing in all that time!  I logged in lots and lots of digital sewing, however, putting my EQ7 to work!

One of the first projects I picked up this month - when I finally had time to sew - is the Sweet Hearts Quilt.  Read all about it on the AccuQuilt Blog.

I really enjoyed making it especially since AccuQuilt makes cutting those triangles so perfectly easy and precise.  I love that the dog ears are removed, right at the start.  I love that I can piece quarter square triangles together for the border and they come out the perfect size!  I love that I didn't have to spend much time cutting and subcutting.  Can you tell I love my AccuQuilt GO! Fabric Cutter???

Last year (before my little sewing hiatus), I made Prismatic from a couple of Northcott's Sandscapes jelly rolls and it is now available as an Exclusively Annie's quilt pattern from Annie's Catalog.

Photo courtesy of Annie's

 One of my quilts, Sunspots, also managed to land on the cover of a book, Bargello Quilts and Beyond!

Photo courtesy of Annie's

It was a lot of fun and easy to make, using non-traditional bargello methods.   So fun and easy, I used the same methods to come up with Robin's Egg Blue, which is also in the same book.  

Photo courtesy of Annie's.

Doesn't it remind you of southwestern turquoise and silver jewelry?  I hope it does for that was my inspiration for it!  Anyway, I can visualize this quilt in dramatic red, white and black, too.

For now, I have one more project to share with you - my Bollenvelden table runner  that appears in Quilter's World Magazine Spring 2016 issue.  Google assures me that "Bollenvelden" is Dutch for tulip fields and that's exactly what I was going for in this quilt.

Photo courtesy of Annie's.

Think Spring!

Quick Project for Christmas

 Christmas is just around the corner!  Yes, I know it's not even Halloween yet but, still, Christmas is barely 2 months away.  That's 62 days.  Phew!  Time to get those holiday projects going....

So, are you ready for a quick project?  AccuQuilt has a fabulous  die that makes 3 different 7" snowflakes!    I used it, as well as the 8" Circle die (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!)  to come up with Ornament Hot Pads!

 Read about how I made these Hotpads here!

And, don't forget to get the free pattern here! 

You're going to love these!

Gifts for Giving

The Holiday season is here - and so is all that Shopping!  So, this is just a reminder to consider alternative gifts this year.  For instance, November 24 is Small Business Saturday.  Why not visit a small business near you and spend your money there?  You would be supporting not only that small business but also your local community.

Actually, why not visit a small business throughout the year?  As quilters, we already do this everytime we go into a local quilt shop and buy something.  Why not take it a step farther and visit locally-owned restaurants and one-of-a-kind stores?  I have tasted some of the best food from these local restaurants and found some of the best gifts at local stores.

And, gifts can be in form of services.  Maybe pay for someone's newspaper subscription or maybe get a gift card to the hairdresser.  These sentiments are exactly those expressed in an  editorial letter by a Mr. Psalmond that appeared in the Moultrie (GA) Observer a year ago.  

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Thanks to American Patchwork and Quilting for the following: